Scientists have found that plasma from the blood of young people is able to rejuvenate the body of old mice, improving their memory, cognitive function and increasing physical activity. This opens up prospects for the development of new treatments for people, says Sakura Minami of the research company Alkahest.
Previous work by scientists showed that the physiological combination of organisms of old and young mice led to interesting results. Sharing the circulatory system proved to be beneficial for the old mouse, as opposed to the young organism. Young animals began to show signs of brain aging, while the brains of old mice looked rejuvenated. “We saw a rejuvenating effect,” says Minami.
The key to youthfulness seems to lie in blood plasma, the liquid constituent of blood. Some studies have shown that injections of plasma from the blood of young mice into older mice can lead to rejuvenation of the brain and other organs, including the liver, heart, and muscles.
Does plasma from the blood of young people have the same beneficial properties? To find out, Minami and her colleagues took blood samples from 18-year-old boys and injected them into 12-month-old mice. At this age, corresponding to 50 years in humans, mice begin to show signs of aging - they move more slowly and perform poorly on memory tests.
The mice were injected with human plasma twice a week. After three weeks of injections, the mice underwent several tests. The results shown by the treated mice were compared to those of young 3-month-old animals as well as old, untreated mice.
New neurons
Scientists have found that human plasma does indeed have anti-aging effects. The mice that received it began to run like young animals. Their memory improved and they remembered the path through the maze much better than normal mice of the same age.
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"Young human plasma improves cognitive function," says Minami, who presented her findings at a Neuroscience Society symposium in San Diego on Monday.
“Basically, we expected it,” says Victoria Bolotina of Boston University in Massachusetts. "The blood of young people must contain something that is essential to keep the body young."
The scientists then examined the brains of both injected and uninjected mice. They wanted to look for signs of a process called neurogenesis of new neurons in the hippocampus, which is believed to be important for memory and learning functions. Undoubtedly, the injected mice produced more new cells in their brains. "The injection of young human plasma accelerates the neurogenesis process," says Minami.
According to the scientist, they were able to identify some components in young blood that may be responsible for these properties, but did not disclose the details.
She hopes that one day it will be possible to apply the results obtained in procedures that prevent aging in people, in particular, those who begin to experience the effects of aging in the brain. “There is anecdotal evidence that people experience improvements after blood transfusion,” she says.
The Alkahest company has already begun experiments with the introduction of young blood in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Sergey Lukavsky